Following years of restoration work, Elizabeth Tower is open to the public for tours.
Members of Parliament are able to provide free Member-sponsored tours of Elizabeth Tower to constituents of Elizabeth Tower. Tickets are limited and therefore demand may exceed availability. However, if you would like to register your interest please get in touch.
History of the Elizabeth Tower
Elizabeth Tower was designed by architect Charles Barry as part of his proposals to re-build the Palace of Westminster in 1835, after much of the old Palace burnt down due to an accidental fire in 1834.
Barry's winning design included two towers in the New Palace of Westminster: a grand royal entrance to stand south of the main building and a smaller clock tower to the north. Barry may have been inspired by old engravings of the palace which showed that a clock tower had stood in New Palace Yard in medieval times. This earlier tower was demolished in 1698 and replaced by only a small sundial.
The clock tower on Barry’s original proposal was not the 96-meter tall iconic building that can be seen today. Barry instead took inspiration from a clock tower at Scarisbrick Hall in Lancashire, which had been designed by Augustus Welby Pugin, a brilliant young Gothic Revival architect and designer. Pugin became Barry’s collaborator for the decorative details on the New Palace of Westminster.
Under Pugin’s influence the clock tower grew in size and significance. With its large clock dials beneath a tall, two-stage spire, it provided Barry with an impressive feature above his vast new building.
Pugin added details such as the symbols of the four parts of the United Kingdom, including the leek, thistle, rose and shamrock alongside the Tudor symbols of the portcullis and fleur-de-lys. The portcullis was used throughout the decoration of the New Palace of Westminster and has become the coat of arms of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
The tower is open once again to the public to visit after extensive restoration work to bring back to life the colour and the details of Barry's and Pugin's original tower - including the clock-face framework been restored to its original colour of Prussian blue.